Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) is a national program that was created by the federal government, honoring Ohio Congressman Louis Stokes, who served for 26 terms consecutively, which equates to 52 years in office).

LSAMP, as Academic Specialist Solange Maza says, “supports undergraduate research and is funded by the National Science Foundation with a purpose of increasing the number of minority or traditionally underrepresented professionals in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics [STEM] fields. [The] LSAMP program has been at Kean University since 2009.”

This program began nationally in 1981 and works with students of color all around the country in grades from K through 12 as well as undergraduate and graduate students. The Kean LSAMP program is a part of the Garden State LSAMP program, which includes other colleges such as Rutgers Newark, Rutgers Montclair, Rutgers New Brunswick, Essex County College and Jersey City State University.

The main purpose of LSAMP is to “provide support services at many levels to help interested students become successful in STEM fields,” comments Maza, “throughout this program students are more competitively prepared for the job market.”

Currently, the LSAMP program has about 250 undergraduate members and is looking to increase that number to 600. LSAMP provides graduate students services that students can partake in, which include but is not limited to:

• A Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) program preparation
• Research experience in the STEM fields
• Preparation for graduate school and career support
• Experience in the STEM industry through internships
• GS – LSAMP conferences allowing students to network with others in the organization 
• Allowing students to tutor and lead study groups

A majority of the events that LSAMP hosts “are educational events such as workshops where students discuss careers, graduate school opportunities and passing the GRE," comments Maza. “As said before, LSAMP is here to help students be better prepared in the professional world, and with these workshops, students will be well prepared before graduation.”

This semester LSAMP has and will be hosting a few events. The first event was The Panel Discussion which was held on Thursday, October 29, 2015, from, and the other event will be a GRE preparation and practice test, which will be held on November 12 and 14 of this year.

“Throughout the past six years LSAMP has granted students that are part of the program with research stipends,” comments Maza. It is a great pleasure to be a part of this program. Students, who are majoring in some type of science, whether it is mathematical science or architectural science, are encouraged to apply to become a member of LSAMP. Unfortunately, non-medical science major students are unable to apply to LSAMP.

In order to become a member, students must fill out the application available here, or visit the Office of LSAMP located in Bruce Hall room 200D.